This invention relates to fire fighter's coats. In particular, this invention relates to an improved sleeve structure for a fire fighter's coat.
Fire fighter's coats are normally made from a tough, thermal insulating material which has a degree of flexibility which is substantially less than conventional street clothing. As a result, the fire fighter is required to expend considerable energy in order to bend the arms of the coat to permit the wearer's forearm to be angularly inclined with respect to the upper arm. This angularly inclined position of the forearm with respect to the upper arm is a position which is used very extensively by a fire fighter when, for example, grasping a hose in front of the fire fighter's body in order to direct a fire fighting liquid on to a fire site. It is a position which most people assume more often than not when attempting to manually grasp or manipulate an object with both hands. Little or no difficulty is experienced in attempting to bend the arm of a conventional article of clothing. Fire fighters are, however, required to operate under hazardous conditions and fatigue, particularly arm fatigue, is a major problem, with the result that any reduction in the load applied to the arm of a fire fighter is of considerable value in attempting to reduce fatigue.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,646 discloses a fire fighter's garment in which the thickness and bulkiness of the inner liner is reduced in order to increase flexibility. The present invention serves to reduce the need for a great deal of the flexibility of the sleeves of the coat by setting the forearm portion of the sleeve at an angle with respect to the upper arm portion. As a result, it is possible to avoid the need to reduce the bulk and the thermal protective properties of the sleeve of the coat without restricting the ease with which the arm of the fire fighter can bend to a common set position.